A Halloween Treat
by roswellwbfan
Summary: Stella has a plan to set up Danny and Lindsay at the costume ball fundraiser the team attends. My reviewers rock!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Peel off the sticky back and apply the standard disclaimer here.

Spoilers: If you know who Lindsay and Danny are then you're fine. This has no canon events.

Author's Note: Tis the season for me to start this fic. Seriously, I only have like 5 days left until this is no longer seasonal. Lord knows I have enough WIPs to keep me busy but this will not leave me alone.

* * *

"Hey, Danny," Stella called out as she entered the lab, "you don't happen to have a letterman's jacket, do you?" 

Danny grinned at her.

"Talk about random, Stel. Yeah, I do. Why?"

"Any chance you could get a hold of it, let me borrow it for Halloween?"

He twisted so he was facing her fully and crossed his arms across his chest.

"You're dressing up for Halloween?"

She looked at him like he was crazy.

"So are you, Danny."

His eyes widened.

"I am? Since when?"

Stella chuckled.

"Since the mayor decided to host a fundraiser for our department that night. The costume ball? Remember?"

Danny groaned.

"Oh man. Why do I gotta go?"

"Right, Messer. Like I believe you forgot. With all the scantily-clad women there are likely to be prancing around?"

He laughed and pointed a finger at her.

"You know me too well."

She smiled at him and made her way to the door.

"So does that mean I can use your jacket?"

"As long as it's returned safe and sound, sure. I'll get it this weekend."

"Great. Thanks, Danny."

"You do realize you'll owe me, Stel?"

"Trust me, Messer. I know what I'm doing."

He turned back to his work. Stella wheeled around when she reached the door.

"One more thing…what were your high school colors?"

"Green and white…why?"

"It's a girl thing."

He waved her away and picked up the file he had been reading.

Stella made her way to the locker room where Lindsay was changing after her shift.

"Hey, Lindsay," she greeted as she made her way into the room.

"Oh, hey, Stella. What's up?"

"I was just thinking about the Halloween ball we have to go to."

Lindsay's face was blank for a moment, and then confused.

"I thought only you and Mac were going?"

Stella shook her head in mock despair.

"I'm afraid the mayor has decided that all of our faces should be seen. Something about it being our fundraiser and all."

"Yes, with the funds going to our department I suppose it makes sense that we should make an appearance. I'm sorry you and Mac won't get to go alone, though."

Stella froze.

"What makes you say that, Lindsay?"

_The younger woman couldn't possibly know, couldn't have seen what she so carefully concealed from the world, could she?_

Lindsay barely glanced at Stella as she continued to put her things away.

"Oh, you know. You guys are such great friends but this job must get in the way of it sometimes. You probably don't get as much time to spend together outside of work as you'd like to where you can just focus on being friends and stuff, right?"

Stella took a moment to breathe easy before she replied.

"True, we don't really spend a lot of time together outside of work like we should," Stella shook her head and went back to the subject at hand. "So about the costume thing. I was thinking since we all have to go anyway why don't we all go together? That way we can hang out as a team, not have to worry about finding dates…what do you think?"

Lindsay stood up and fixed Stella with a serious look that Stella wasn't expecting.

"That depends. Are you suggesting this because you think I can't get a date?"

Stella burst out laughing.

"God no! Why would I do that?"

Lindsay blushed and looked away.

"Sorry, Stella. It's just that…well, it's stupid but the other day I heard these lab techs talking about me and they were saying some stuff…"

She trailed off and Stella realized she had no intention of continuing.

"Lindsay? What did they say?"

"It doesn't matter. Look, I'm sorry I even brought it up. Let's just forget I said anything, all right?"

"No, it's not alright. What did they say about you?"

Lindsay fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

"They were just saying things about me not fitting in, not being attractive. You know, dumb high school stuff that I thought I'd never hear again and am still strangely sensitive to, much to my dismay. I don't know why they were talking about me, though. I guess it's because I'm still considered the new girl, even after all this time."

Stella had her suspicions who was doing the gossiping and she was pretty positive she knew why they were dissing Lindsay like they were, but she could see how upset Lindsay was about the whole thing and so she decided to drop it…for now. She could get their names later. For now she set about reassuring her friend.

"Don't let them get to you, Lindsay. They're just jealous of you."

Lindsay snorted.

"Right. But thanks for saying so, Stella. You're a great friend."

"And as your great friend will you do me the honor of accompanying me and the rest of the team to the ball?"

Lindsay snickered.

"Yeah, why not? I trust you're handling the arduous task of convincing the guys to come on board?"

Stella shook her head and smiled.

"Leave them to me…like putty in my hands."

"Okay. The only thing left to worry about is of course, a costume."

Stella's eyes sparkled.

"Actually I thought we could discuss that together and come up with some stuff?"

"Sounds great. When are you free?"

"How about we grab a bite before our shifts tomorrow?"

"I'm game. I'll call you in the morning and find out what you feel like eating. How does that sound?"

"I'll look forward to it," Stella said with a smile as she exited the locker room. She felt like clapping her hands together in glee…everything was going according to plan.

"These waffles are delicious, Stella. I'm so glad you chose this place," Lindsay gushed the next day as they sat in a booth at a diner near the lab.

"Yeah, I love a place that serves breakfast all day," Stella added as she dug into her own food, "So what were you thinking for a costume?"

Lindsay tilted her head and considered the question before shrugging.

"I don't know, maybe a ghost?" She laughed at Stella's shocked expression. "What's wrong with that?"

Stella put her silverware down and folded her arms on top of the table. Lindsay could tell she took this pretty seriously, and it made her smile and mimic Stella's posture.

"Not that I don't think you could do Casper proud, Linds, but this is _Halloween_ we're talking about. More than that, it's the one night of the year where we get to dress a little or a lot differently than we normally do, and it's okay."

Lindsay shook her head and grinned.

"Not to mention it's a costume ball, Linds. We have a responsibility as the minority to do our sex proud," Stella insisted. Lindsay furrowed her brow.

"Say what now?"

"We are outranked by the guys like three-to-one, and it's our duty to remind them why there should be more of us there."

Understanding dawned in Lindsay's eyes and she chuckled.

"Uh-huh. So we dress in sexy costumes to make them think having more women on the force is a great idea…is that what you're getting at?"

Stella nodded emphatically.

"Now you're getting it. Not to mention it's a prime opportunity to make sure that your crush keeps his baby blues on you all night."

Lindsay blushed but refused to break Stella's gaze.

"Now Stella, how many times must I remind you that I do not have a crush on Flack?"

Stella smiled.

"Ha ha, very funny. Don't be surprised when Danny asks you about your costume…he's going to be dying to know what you're going as."

Lindsay brushed aside her comment with a wave of her hand.

"It'll be a moot point if we don't decide what we're wearing, so I'm open to suggestions."

Stella pondered the topic for a few moments and Lindsay took the opportunity to sneak in a few more bites of food.

"How about a sexy Little Red Riding Hood?"

Lindsay smiled but gave the imagery some consideration. There was the cape, which was good to cover herself with. She briefly wondered if Danny would go as the Big Bad Wolf, and then it hit her that the Wolf wanted to eat Red and thus the costume was dismissed.

Nope. No way was she going in a costume that just begged for one of Danny's smart ass comments, especially a comment that would likely include a combination of the words _you, eat, want,_ and _I_.

She blushed just thinking about it and shook her head no. Stella shrugged.

"Okay, what about a pirate wench?"

Lindsay gave it due consideration until she came to the conclusion that Danny would say something about plundering her treasure and yeah, she'd rather avoid that.

"A genie?"

Lindsay only gave that idea as much time as it took for her to remember a song about being rubbed the right way.

She didn't need any more images of Danny rubbing her…wait. She flushed and tried to come up with a costume idea of her own.

Fifteen minutes later the ladies were discussing how they were going to assemble their costumes, a discussion which they continued as they rode the elevator together to the lab.

Lindsay waved goodbye to Stella and went to grab her lab coat. Stella swallowed the triumphant grin that threatened to break free until Lindsay was out of sight. She was so good, and yet so bad at the same time.

Her plan was brilliance, if she did say so herself. All she had to do was make costume suggestions she knew Lindsay wouldn't let Danny see her in until her real suggestion could be slipped in oh so innocently.

Lindsay had agreed readily enough, but it was certain Stella would be facing her wrath if she found out just why Stella was so keen to see Lindsay in this particular outfit.

Danny had confessed a drunken fantasy to Stella and Aiden one night, and Stella had held on to the memory until proper a time for blackmail. But once Lindsay entered the picture Stella knew she could use the information to help her two co-workers, and herself in the process, find a lasting relationship.

She just had to make sure Lindsay didn't blab the details of her costume to anyone, especially Danny.

She bided her time until the three of them were on a case and then oh-so-innocently asked Lindsay for an update on her costume.

"Say, Lindsay, how's your costume coming along?" she asked. Lindsay lifted her head and was about to reply when Danny piped up.

"So whaddaya gonna dress up as?"

Lindsay looked at him and then at Stella, who rolled her eyes at Danny and mimicked zipping her lips. Lindsay smiled at Stella and nodded slightly.

"None of your business, Messer," she told him with a grin. He pouted as he tried to think of a way to get her to crack, but all he could think of were the myriad of skimpy costumes that she had to choose from.

A sudden thought hit him…what if her costume was like all encompassing? What if it was like a bear costume or something? He barely suppressed a shudder at the image.

"Is it like a polar bear or somethin'?" he asked.

Lindsay stopped what she was doing and stared at him, surprised not only by the question but also by the serious tone he was using.

She hated to admit it but she was impressed…slightly. She would have picked him as the type of guy to automatically guess something ultra-revealing. She flushed as she thought of all the costume choices she had rejected.

Stella had to turn away and bite her fist to keep from laughing. Danny was obviously trying not to let on how horrified he was at the prospect of Lindsay wearing something that covered her so well, and she found it cute that he cared enough about Lindsay to try.

"C'mon, Montana, tell me what you're gonna wear," Danny pleaded, his curiosity piqued by her blush.

"No, Danny, you can wait to see it until I meet you guys here that night," Lindsay insisted, amused at his begging.

"What if I pick you up on my way in to the lab that night?" he asked with a grin.

Lindsay shook her head. He sure was anxious to know what she was wearing. Stella inwardly cheered.

"Fine. You can come pick me up and that way you'll get to see what I wear a whole twenty-some minutes before anyone else. Happy now?"

He bounced on the balls of his feet for a minute and smiled at her. She rolled her eyes and went back to their scene.

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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Yeah, still going with "I don't own 'em." I'll let you know if that changes.

Author's Note: Wow! I mean, this response to this is just fantastic. Thanks, everyone! It has made a not-so-good week so much more bearable. Thanks to Niki, Faye, Danielle and Lyss, whose reviews I could not reply to offline. As with all my fics, if you do not get a reply from me by the time the next chapter is posted let me know. I try very hard to make sure I reply to all the reviews I'm lucky enough to get.

Spoilers: Still nothing canon.

* * *

"Hey, Danny. You're picking Lindsay up tonight, right?"

"Yep."

"Great. Could you do me a favor?"

"You're rackin' 'em up, Stel, but sure. Whaddaya need?"

She held up a big brown bag that was stapled shut.

"This is for Lindsay. Would you take it to her, please?"

As Danny tucked the bag in the crook of his arm Stella wished for a moment that she had let someone in on her plan. But the only person she was likely to confide in was Mac, and she couldn't very well tell him that she was trying to get the two CSIs together in the hopes that he himself would take a look around the lab and see what he'd been missing.

Lindsay growled as she rushed into her apartment. Of course it had to happen that the case took up more time than it should have, today of all days. Now Danny was going to be here, at her apartment, in less time than it would take her to get ready. In fact she was surprised she had beaten him to her place.

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

"Yeah?" she called into the intercom.

"Hey, Monroe."

Speak of the devil.

"Come on up," she said as she pressed the button.

She opened the door and her welcoming smile died as she took in her appearance. She was glad she was holding the door and she increased the pressure of her grip and forced herself to breathe.

He was dressed as a cowboy.

"You like?" he drawled with a smirk.

Had words ever failed to properly express what she was thinking to the extent that his comment failed?

Did she like? _Like?_ It was amazing she could think at all, let alone straight enough to properly form words.

The wheat colored straw hat looked like it had always been there. The blue flannel shirt, rolled up to display his forearms, hugged his torso like a second skin. He was wearing dark navy straight cut jeans that poured down his legs to his black boots.

It should be a sin, or at the very least illegal, for him to fill out those jeans the way he did, she thought to herself as she blatantly continued to check him out.

Wait.

_Boots?_ As in…cowboy boots?

He followed the direction of her gaze and tilted one toward her.

"Yeah…actually they're not half bad, once you get used to them. I was prepared to hate 'em on principle, if nothing else."

He grinned when he saw that her attention was pretty fixated on his attire. He had hoped to get a reaction out of her. He had been worried that she'd be pissed and think he was once again making fun of her. But from the way she was outright starin' it was clear that she thought he looked more than just a little okay. Still, better to double check than to assume, he thought.

"So, Montana…do I pass inspection or what?"

She blinked and nodded her head.

"Come on in, Messer."

As he walked past her she couldn't help but check out the rear view. She very nearly groaned. Give him a long neck beer and change him into a tank top and he'd pretty much be a vision straight out of her fantasies…not that he needed to know that. As she shut the door she struggled to find something to say that wouldn't sound completely asinine.

He saved her from her thoughts by talking.

"Ever since you called me cowboy I knew it's what I was gonna dress up as."

"Glad I could help," she murmured as she finally made eye contact again.

"So you're going as…a CSI who just got off of work?" he asked as he looked her over.

"I don't know why people ever accuse you of being anything but brilliant," she intoned in as sarcastic a tone as possible.

"Am I early?" he asked with a frown.

She shook her head and walked past him.

"I got out late so it's going to take me a few minutes to get ready. Do you mind waiting?"

He shrugged.

"Not at all. Anything I can do to help?"

She smiled at him and shook her head.

"Just hand me the bag from Stella and make yourself at home. TV remote is on the table, movies, music, it's all pretty much concentrated right here," she said as she waved her hand at the couch and surrounding area.

He handed her the bag and sauntered over to the couch. She called out from her bedroom.

"If you're thirsty or need a snack help yourself to whatever I've got."

"Thanks," he acknowledged as he turned on the TV and began to flip through the stations. He stood up and was about to go get himself a drink when she reappeared and he plopped back down on the couch, his legs suddenly unable to hold him up.

"Damn, Lindsay."

Danny would later be impressed that he was capable of speech at all. She was a vision straight out of his fantasies and he inspected her from head to toe much like she had done to him, although he wasn't even tryin' to be subtle.

How could he, when she was dressed as a cheerleader?

His eyes traveled up her legs to the oh-so-short skirt she was wearing. He thought he'd gladly give his first born to see what she had on underneath that skirt. He wondered if she was wearing just the typical bloomers or if she had on something else underneath them.

Suddenly a hazy night flashed in his mind. He had been out with the team, and it was pretty late in the evening so he was feelin' pretty buzzed by the time The Conversation, as he mentally referred to it, took place.

He was on his way back with another beer when he picked up the tail end of Stella and Aiden's conversation.

"So he starts throwing punches, completely disrupts the game," Stella said.

"Yeah, that's the type of fan I hate to see," Aiden agreed.

Danny's brain was taking a bit longer to process things and when it did it was a little off.

"What about a fantasy?" he asked with a grin as he sat down. He missed Stella and Aiden exchange looks over his head.

"We wanted to know what one of yours was," Aiden supplied. He nodded.

"The Yankees winning the World Series," he answered with a smirk. Stella and Aiden both rolled their eyes.

"I know," Stella said with an evil smile Danny completely misread, "we'll take turns, and the worst fantasy buys the next round. What do you think?"

Aiden nodded her head and hid her smile behind her hand. After a moment to process Danny shook his head too.

"Ok, who's first?" Aiden asked with a too-innocent stare at Danny.

"It was my idea so it's between you two," Stella announced. "I'll flip a coin. Danny, you call it."

"Heads."

Stella flipped the coin and patted his hand after looking at it.

"Sorry, it was tails."

It didn't occur to Danny to ask to see the coin himself. He was too busy taking a drink and thinking about what fantasy to share.

"I've always had a thing for cheerleaders," he admitted with a smile as he thought back to the girls in his class who had worn the uniforms.

"You ever date a cheerleader?" Stella asked. Danny shook his head.

"Nah, I was a ball player, not a footballer," he said, as if that explained everything. Aiden and Stella looked to each other for help but when none was forthcoming Aiden spoke up.

"So why did that mean you never dated a cheerleader?"

He shrugged.

"That time of year they were too busy getting ready for their competitions to come to our games. I always thought it was a bum rap. I mean, we were division champs three years running while the football team never broke five hundred all four years I was there. And yet, they got the cheerleaders."

Stella nodded.

"And by the time football season was over they'd all gotten boyfriends on the team," she guessed, and Danny nodded.

"Yeah, so I always wondered what it'd be like to see a girl wearin' my jacket with that hot little skirt peeking out," Danny stated with a faraway look on his face.

"What's the matter? Does it look funny?"

Lindsay's voiced jarred him back to the present and he licked his lips. He didn't need to wonder anymore. It looked un-freakin'-believable. God, Lindsay was so hot already…it was wrong how much he wanted to skip the party and explore her outfit thoroughly. He shook his head, both to calm his libido and answer her question.

"No, definitely not funny. I just thought Stella needed my jacket for her costume, not yours. It caught me off guard."

"This is your jacket?"

He nodded and she looked around for the mirror before deciding to just take off the jacket and look at the back. Her hands went to the buttons and Danny had half a mind to tell her to keep it on, but before he could say anything she shrugged out of it and he lost what little rational thought he had.

The cheerleading top left too little to his imagination, even though she was wearing a tight long-sleeved shirt beneath it. His fingers itched to touch it, to trace the "NYPD" letters on top and all that creamy skin he was imagining beneath it.

She held the jacket up and looked at the back. There was a baseball emblem, the word "Wildcats" on top and "Messer" spelled out on the bottom. She smiled as she traced over the letters with her fingers and he had to swallow a groan.

"I had no idea this was yours. Stella just told me she had a jacket that would go perfectly with this so I wouldn't be so self-conscious. If I'd have known…"

She trailed off as she realized he wasn't paying any attention to her. At least, not to the words that came out of her mouth. His attention was definitely not on her face. He belatedly noticed that she had stopped speaking and he made eye contact and grinned sheepishly at her before he went right back to staring.

"Sorry, Montana. It's just, you look…" he trailed off, unsure of what word to use. His brain was still too busy filling itself with images of Lindsay in the outfit to come up with a proper synonym so he went with brutal honesty. "…completely smokin' in that outfit."

She blushed and put the jacket back on, grabbing her keys and preceding him to the door.

"Not that you don't always look good, 'cause you do," he continued, aware on some level that he really should shut the hell up right about now but somehow unable to do so, "but in that getup? Man, you are gonna be beatin' them off with a stick tonight."

That thought broke through his semi-trance and he frowned. He was right, she was gonna have guys pretty much wettin' themselves to get near her. This was not good. Stayin' in the apartment was looking better and better.

Lindsay wondered if she was ever going to stop doing her human tomato impression. She hadn't counted on quite that reaction from Danny. Actually, if she had known there was a snowball's chance of a reaction like that she would have gone back to her original plan of the ghost costume in a heartbeat.

But as they rode the elevator down to his car she had to admit that his reaction definitely made her feel good. Actually, coupled with how freaking hot she thought _he_ looked it made her want to stay home and see what he had on underneath the flannel.

"Well, Messer, I think you'll have more than your fair share of ladies drooling over you tonight," she said with a smile as he opened the car door for her. He returned the smile and leaned on the door after she got in.

"Ya think?"

"Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised. Why? Are you scared you can't handle it?" she teased, aware that she was inflating his ego more than she probably should, especially given the chemistry between them.

He shook his head as he closed the door and jogged over to his side. As he turned on the ignition he gave her another once over, smiling when she blushed again. It was too easy to make her react like that.

"You never know, Monroe. Do you plan on rescuing me if it looks like I'm being fed to the wolves?"

That made Lindsay think of the reason why she had abandoned Little Red Riding Hood and she turned her head to look out the window, hoping to cool her cheeks.

"I've got your back," she announced with a grin, although she kept her eyes on the passing scenery.

"Good to know. Maybe you should stick close, in case I need you," he suggested with a casualness he most definitely did not feel.

Lindsay's heart skipped more than a few beats but she managed to smile without swooning.

"Well, what with the whole gang hanging out I'm pretty sure you won't be left alone, should you choose not to go off with anyone, that is," she teased, "You never know, there could be a cowgirl just waiting for you to tip your hat to her."

He grinned at her and settled into the seat, anxious for the night to reveal itself.

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	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has read and offered reviews. I really appreciate it. Thanks to faye and Candice, whose reviews I could not reply to offline.

Spoilers: As long as you know who the team is, that's pretty much it. No major canon events discussed.

Disclaimer: Big shocker here, I don't own them.

* * *

Danny and Lindsay made it to the lab before the rest of the team, or so they thought. Truth be told the rest of the team had been called back in to run some last minute analyses, and only Lindsay and Danny were spared since they had been the last ones to work.

Lindsay wondered what everyone was going to be dressed as, but realized that by thinking about it too much she would end up ignoring Danny, which was definitely something she didn't want to do. She searched for a topic and grinned when she came up with something to say.

"So, Danny," she began and he just smirked at her, waiting, "What sort of signal are you going to give me to let me know that you need to be rescued?"

"That is an excellent question, Miss Monroe," he told her with a smile, "We should probably work those out so that we can avoid any awkward moments."

She lifted an eyebrow.

"I get to have a signal too?" she teased.

"To suggest that I would leave you to fend for yourself?" he told her while gripping his chest, "You wound me, Montana."

She covered her mouth in a vain attempt to keep the laughter in. Danny smiled when he heard her.

"And just for that, we get to choose _my_ signal first."

Lindsay pouted up at Danny, although the effect was ruined by her inability to stop smiling.

"But I really wanted to get my signal first, Danny. Please?" she begged, clasping her hands together and batting her eyelashes.

Danny looked at her for a minute and Lindsay wondered what he was thinking. Unbeknownst to her he was considering using this conversation as a way of feeling out Lindsay's thoughts on dating him. It appeared to Lindsay that he seemed to come to some sort of conclusion when he nodded at her and walked over to the wall, where he leaned his weight and angled himself toward her.

"C'mere, Montana," he said with a wave. Lindsay was puzzled but she grinned and walked over, stopping just before she entered his personal space.

"I don't see why I need to be over here, Danny," Lindsay told him, "more likely than not we'll be across the room from each other when we give the signal."

Danny rolled his eyes and heaved a giant sigh. Lindsay could see his smirk threatening to break free.

"We need to make sure that your signal is somethin' subtle enough that the poor guy I'm about to send packin' doesn't realize you're even sendin' a signal."

Lindsay could see the logic in that but she still didn't understand why they were standing near each other, and told Danny as much.

"It's called role-playin, Linds. I'm gonna be the guy you're tryin' to extricate yourself from, so you need to come up with a signal that I can't see you doin'. Then when we're done role-playin' you tell me what you did so that I can recognize it."

This was sure to be a catastrophe somehow, Lindsay thought, but the idea of Danny pretending to be some smarmy guy just tickled her to no end and she agreed with the plan.

Danny rubbed his hands together as he thought about how to proceed, and he gently tugged Lindsay over until she was up against the wall, then he leaned in, resting his arm near her head so that she was partially boxed in. Her eyes widened for a moment before she smiled up at him and cocked an eyebrow, waiting for him to start the game.

"So have I told you how incredible you look tonight?" he began and she blushed, having thought he was going to use some lame pickup line.

"I think you may have mentioned it once or twice," she replied, ducking her head for a moment before peering up at him through her lashes.

"You're not a native New Yorker, are ya?"

She shook her head.

"I like your accent; it makes me pay attention to what you're sayin'. So where was home before here, and what did you used to do on Halloween?"

Lindsay smiled at the smooth way Danny was operating. She planned on giving him a brief answer but he acted so interested that she found herself going into all sorts of details about her past Halloweens in Bozeman.

She forgot about the signal, and the fact that Danny was supposed to be repelling her altogether. At the end of one of her stories he spoke up.

"What would a guy have to do to get you to agree to go out with him?"

Lindsay blinked, completely taken aback by the question.

"Are you asking me out?" she asked.

He smiled and she felt her toes curl.

"I just might risk it…depending on your answer."

She bit her lip to try and contain her smile. She cleared her throat and shrugged.

"Well there's no fool-proof system. I'm afraid it's a case-by-case thing, so I'm going to have to spend more time with you and see if I want to see you after tonight."

They looked at each other for a long moment before Lindsay whacked him on the arm and they both laughed.

"What was that for?" Danny asked, rubbing the spot she hit.

"You. You're horrible at this."

"Meaning?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Meaning I thought you were supposed to be acting like someone I wanted to get away from, not someone I wanted to go out with."

She clapped her hand over her mouth as she realized what she had admitted. Rolling her eyes she stepped away from Danny and pointed to the wall.

"Okay, that's enough out of you," she said, "time for me to role-play and for you to come up with a signal."

Danny was smart enough to realize that pushing Lindsay on what was obviously a subconscious admission would not get him very far so he simply assumed a leaning stance against the wall and waited for her to act.

Lindsay was pretty embarrassed, although Danny's silence helped her regain her equilibrium. She was grateful that he hadn't seized upon her discomfort and made any smart ass comments. But was he acting? Did he really think that what he had said, how he had behaved, would make her seek an escape?

She realized that the best way to answer that was to watch how he behaved the rest of the night. If he left with some other woman then that was pretty much her answer. But for now she had some role-playing to do. The problem was that she didn't know how to behave like a bimbo, and maybe that was Danny's type, although somehow she doubted it.

So she decided to just act bold, much bolder than she ever would without copious amounts of alcohol. She cocked her head at him and took in his appearance. His arms were crossed lightly as were his legs.

_Good lord he was attractive_, she thought to herself, and then smiled as she thought of what she could say. She placed a hand on one of his forearms and leaned in to toy with one of his collar's buttons.

"You know," she spoke in a low voice, "There's this song about saving a horse but I never wanted to ride a cowboy until I saw you tonight."

Danny's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open a little but he recovered quickly. He leaned forward slightly and tilted his head so that he could blatantly check out her ass.

"What a coincidence…that skirt's been givin' me _plenty_ of images of you ridin'."

Lindsay's pulse jumped and she had to take a deep breath before she could continue.

"It's a shame we have this party, all these people…" she trailed off with a grin.

He quirked a brow at her.

"I almost suggested that we stay in your apartment tonight," he told her, smiling when he saw her blush.

"Whatever would we have done to pass the time there?" she asked him with an innocent gaze, although the corners of her lips lifted upwards.

His eyes darkened as he leaned in, his breath brushing her neck and making her shiver.

"Mmm, I'm sure we could have thought of _something_, Montana."

"If you two are done flirting we do have a party to get to, you know."

Lindsay whirled around and Danny stepped to the side. The whole team, minus Mac, was standing across the room chuckling. Flack was dressed like a pirate, while Hawkes had decided to go the werewolf route, and their costumes were both first rate. And Stella looked magnificent as Cleopatra, and would easily capture the attention of all of the men at the party.

"Hey, where's Mac?" Lindsay asked as she looked the group over. Stella rolled her eyes before answering.

"He had to turn in some last minute paperwork, he's going to take a cab and meet us there. He said he'd only be fifteen minutes behind at most."

"Well then let's get moving," Danny said as he gestured for Lindsay to precede him.

* * *

Letting Stella borrow his jacket was the smartest thing he could have done, Danny reflected later. All night Lindsay had been receiving comments about it, and most everyone assumed she was wearing it as some sort of public stake she was claiming on him, and vice versa.

And while normally such an assumption would have gotten him irritated as hell he could find no fault in his co-workers' teasing remarks due to the fact that they accomplished a very worthwhile goal…keeping Lindsay by his side most of the night. While many of the guys had in fact been drawn to Lindsay as soon as they saw Danny's jacket on her they all backed off and made some joke instead about the high school nature of the relationship.

It was after they had been at the ball for over an hour that it occurred to Danny that by not acting like he minded people assuming he was dating Lindsay that he was also telling Lindsay that as well. But it was the fact that Lindsay didn't take offense to the comments or make a move to remove the jacket that clued Danny in that she might be okay with the notion of the two of them together as well.

He thought back to their encounter at the lab and he wondered how much of what Lindsay had said and done had been an act, and how much had been her true feelings.

Lindsay had been worried after the first few comments that Danny was going to get upset by the constant speculation that she was wearing his jacket to announce that they were a couple, but after he went right along with it more than a handful of times she became convinced that he didn't mind.

That thought was unsettling and exciting all at once.

She didn't know where they stood with each other but as the night wore on she resolved to just see where it went and to adjust accordingly. By no means was she going to throw herself at him but she wouldn't exactly step out of the way if he decided to throw himself at her.

"I'm going to go check the jacket in for a bit. I don't want to get anything on it while we eat," Lindsay announced as she stood up from the table where the team was waiting for dinner to be served. Danny just nodded, afraid that if he tried to speak he'd end up cheering aloud at the thought of seeing Lindsay in that top again.

She had only been gone a few moments when his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID and when he saw that it was Louie he answered.

"Hey, Lou. What's up?" Danny strained to hear his response and as soon as he heard that it was just a catch-up call he told his brother he'd call him back the next day.

When she came back he allowed himself a few more moments' indulgence in blatantly appraising her costume. She blushed and cuffed him on the arm as she sat down, and he was more pleased than he'd admit to that she didn't seem to notice the attention she had received on her way back.

After dinner and some more conversation the Mayor went up to the podium and introduced the first of the night's key speakers, all of whom continued to recycle the same speech about the wonderful job the department had done, how very much the night's contributions were appreciated, and how they hoped to see everyone back safe and sound next year.

Once the speeches were over it was time for more drinks and dancing. Lindsay leaned over to Danny in order to be heard over the music and he clenched his hands into fists beneath the table when she placed her hand on his shoulder to steady herself.

"I'm going to go get the jacket back, okay?" she asked and pulled back a bit to see his answer. It only took his nod to see that there was very little space between them, and that really it would be almost ridiculously easy to close the distance and kiss.

Danny watched the emotions flicker over Lindsay's face and when he saw her eyes dart down to his mouth it was all he could do to keep himself still in his seat. Suddenly Lindsay blinked and stood up, using his shoulder as leverage and she walked away on slightly unsteady feet.

He watched her retreat, not about to pass up the chance to see her hips sway and didn't move until she had disappeared from view. Now he needed to calm his reaction to Lindsay before she made it back and so he sought a distraction. He took out his cell phone and went out the doors at the opposite end of the hall from where Lindsay had left.

He called the lab and made sure that nothing pressing had come in, and that the guys who opted to work knew that the team appreciated their efforts.

He ended the call and began to wander over in the direction Lindsay had gone. He suddenly felt like dancing, which was normally not something he ever subjected himself to but in this case dancing meant getting to put his hands on Lindsay. He could think of no reason why his hands should not be on her as soon as possible.

So much for calming his reaction to her.

He turned a corner and the sound of laughter reached his ears. Going a bit further he saw Rochelle from trace holding a wine glass and sporting an overly fake smile. Standing next to her were two other women from the lab, and they were all laughing…at Lindsay.

Danny frowned as he looked at the group. Lindsay had red wine all over the sleeves of her shirt, and he could tell from the splatter pattern that she had raised her arms to cover herself. He took a moment to reflect on how sad his life was that his job permeated his thoughts to this extent. He then took a moment to take in Lindsay's face. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked like she wanted to kill someone. God she was beautiful when she was pissed, he thought before he approached.

"What's goin' on here?" he asked, even though it was pretty obvious.

Rochelle and gang whirled at the sound of his voice and he almost laughed at the transformation in their features. They had been chock-full of malice and spite before…now they were all flirtatious.

"Oh hi, Danny," Rochelle gushed as she flipped her hair and ran her hand down her genie costume. Danny merely lifted an eyebrow.

Lindsay rolled her eyes and bit back a sigh. She had thought that the evening was going well, and that maybe she was up for testing the waters between herself and Danny sooner rather than later.

But then Rochelle and her friends had decided to humiliate her.

She had been on her way back to the coat check when suddenly a hand shoved her and she barely had time to cross her arms when she saw that she was headed for Rochelle, who had a glass of red wine aimed right at her.

"Oops," Rochelle had declared in that sickly sweet tone of voice women use when it's clear they think whoever they're talking to is a complete bitch, "How clumsy of you, Lynnette."

Lindsay had glared at her as she righted herself but had not verbally flayed her like she wanted to. She had been working up some choice words when Rochelle's friends joined them and started to make comments about Lindsay's lack of grace.

The three of them laughed and laughed until Danny walked over.

As soon as she heard his voice she prayed hard for a hole in the floor, a time machine, aliens looking for an abductee, anything to get her out of this.

"Well Lynnette here tripped and spilled my drink all over her," Rochelle told him with a fake pout, which quickly turned into a smile, "Say, would you mind getting me another glass of wine?"

"It's Lindsay," Lindsay muttered darkly and turned to see Danny raise his eyebrows at Rochelle, who was trying to out-flirt her friends.

Lindsay rolled her eyes and started to walk away, unsure why she had even stayed once Danny showed up. She wondered if he'd even notice she was gone what with all the boobs being thrown in his face right now.

"I guess I should thank you," Danny began and Lindsay stopped walking and turned around.

_Was he about to say thank you for getting Lindsay out of the way?_

If that was the case she needed to hear it from his own lips before she killed him, Rochelle, and the rest of the tramps.

"You've managed to do something I was tryin' to do all evenin'," he continued, and all four women looked at him with quizzical expressions, "I've wanted _Lindsay_ to take that top off since I saw it, but she said no. I was going to wait until we got back to her place to bug her about it but now I don't have to," he finished with a smile and a wink at Lindsay, who blushed profusely.

Rochelle actually squeaked before her jaw dropped, and her friends bore identical expressions of disbelief.

"Come on, Montana," Danny told her as he walked over and held out his hand, "Let's get that top off of you."

She hesitated until she saw the death glares she was now receiving from Rochelle and company and then she put her hand in his with a smile.

"I told you that I needed the proper incentive to take it off, Danny," she teased him and his smile could have cracked his face.

"And I told you to just name it already and quit bein' such a tease," he said in a stage whisper as he pulled her away, leaving the other women fuming.

Stella had witnessed the whole exchange and was smiling to herself when suddenly a warm hand touched the small of her back and an equally warm voice spoke in her ear.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop, you know."

She turned to Mac and smiled, taking a moment to appreciate the fine form he made in his tuxedo. Technically, he was supposed to be Dracula and he even had the cape but he'd lost the teeth along the way and so he ended up just looking like the hot man he was.

"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop," Stella assured him, "I saw Lindsay get doused and I was waiting to see if it was something I needed to help her handle."

Mac nodded and grinned.

"But her white knight took care of it, is that it?"

Stella smiled but her gaze became serious.

"Does that bother you?" she asked and he peered at her quizzically before shrugging a shoulder.

"There's no law that says co-workers can't date. Assuming they're in to each other—"

Stella rolled her eyes and placed a hand on Mac's shoulder, using her free hand to point in the direction the couple had walked off in.

"I think that's a pretty fair assumption, Mac. Did you see them just now? In fact, have you seen them all night?"

Mac ducked his head for a moment.

"As I was saying, assuming they're in to each other as long as they can handle the work and not distract the team then I have no problem with them dating."

Stella smiled at him. He reached up and took her hand off his shoulder and placed it into his own.

"Now then, how about a dance?"

Afraid she would start whooping aloud Stella merely smiled and let Mac lead her away.

As soon as they made it to the hallway Lindsay was sure Danny would let go of her hand but to her surprise he didn't even seem to notice he was still holding it. They made it to the bathrooms and Danny pointed to a bench outside the door to the ladies' room.

"I'll be here when you get out, okay?"

She peered at him for a moment before she nodded and as she pushed the door open he called out to her.

"If you need help taking it off just let me know."

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: You guys are too nice, really. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review, especially when you review. I am tickled pink by the kind words I'm fortunate enough to get. If I missed sending you a thank you from your last review let me know and I will remedy that asap. Also, thanks to A, danielle, moyeh, nyinlove and californiasmurf whose reviews I could not respond to offline. Thanks, guys! Your comments were greatly appreciated!

Spoilers: I guess you need to know that Lindsay took Aiden's place, but really if you're looking for Danny/Lindsay you pretty much know that so I don't think there are any spoilers.

Disclaimer: I'm as close to owning the characters as you are. I guess I own Rochelle and her nasty friends, although some days I wish I didn't.

On with the chapter…

* * *

Lindsay laughed but then she realized that by taking off the long sleeved undershirt she was going to feel very exposed and so she stepped back out into the hallway and met Danny's bemused face.

"What's wrong?"

She bit her lip and looked down at her feet for a moment.

"It's just that I forgot to get your jacket back and I would really appreciate having it here to put on when I get out," she told him with a soft smile.

He nodded and took off and Lindsay went in to assess the damage.

Thankfully her sleeves had soaked up most of the wine and the few droplets that made it onto her cheerleading top came out with water. She used the hand drier as the undershirt soaked in the sink and decided to leave it there until the end of the party. There were more than enough sinks in there that it shouldn't be a problem, and if someone decided to throw it away it wouldn't really be the end of the world.

She opened the door and peered out, pleased to see Danny there without an annoyed expression, which is what she had been afraid of seeing. He probably hadn't counted on spending time cooling his heels while she was in the bathroom as part of the fun of the evening. But she wasn't prepared for him to stare at her with an even greater intensity than he had in the apartment, a feat she had not thought possible.

Danny had been lost in thought when he should have been thinking about how he was going to react when Lindsay reappeared, he realized as she stepped out of the bathroom. With the undershirt gone he got to fully appreciate how much skin had been covered up, and what was now revealed.

He licked his lips at the thought of getting his hands on her, and he cursed the party and the fact that the whole team had come in a limo together. How was he going to keep his mind on anything other than getting her back to her place where he could show her just how serious he was about wanting to date her? Especially when his plan to show her involved just that…showing her with actions that were inappropriate to perform in front of his boss and the rest of the NYPD?

"Damn, Lindsay," he finally choked out.

"Do I look bad?" she asked and when he took another minute to check her out she did a little twirl for him that raised both her skirt and his pulse rate.

He grinned at the display and when he looked in her eyes he saw something that hadn't been there before. She knew that he thought she looked good, and she was okay with it. Actually, her smile told him she was pretty pleased by his reaction.

"Bad? Hell no, you look good enough to eat," Danny said and smiled when the predictable blush crept up her cheeks, "But I don't want all those guys leering at you in there so yeah, I think you're gonna need this," he declared as he held the jacket open for her.

As she pulled her arms through Danny reached beneath the collar and pulled out her ponytail and Lindsay's neck broke out into gooseflesh where his fingers skimmed the surface.

"So you're the only one who gets to leer at me?" she teased in an effort to get things back to normal between them.

"If the world were a perfect place, yes. But in lieu of that…how about a dance?"

She grinned when he offered his arm but her brow furrowed as she placed her hand on his forearm and let him lead her back into the room. He saw the expression and raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't have you pegged as a dancer," she offered to the unasked question.

"I'm usually not, but for you I'm willing to make an exception."

She would have said something but Flack cornered them. He gave them a cheesy grin.

"You guys finally back from the janitor's closet?"

Lindsay blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," Danny told him in a deadpan voice, "Now that the Flack Comedy Minute is over, you mind gettin' outta the way?"

Flack quirked an eyebrow.

"Where are you going?"

Danny sighed and looked down at his feet for a moment. Lindsay decided to speak up.

"Well if you must know Hell has frozen over and until the thaw happens I'm forcing Danny to dance with me."

Flack's smile got even wider and he called Hawkes over. When Hawkes arrived he asked the group what was going on, and he joined Flack in laughing when he heard that Danny was going to dance with Lindsay.

"So the jacket wasn't enough, huh?" Hawkes asked Danny with a grin.

Danny rolled his eyes and led Lindsay away. When they arrived on the dance floor Danny moved his hands to Lindsay's waist and she repositioned her hands on his shoulders.

"What was Hawkes getting at?" she questioned with a smile. Danny grinned at her.

"He was tryin' to imply that I agreed to dance with you to send a message to all the guys here," he told her and she laughed.

"Ah, I see. So it would have looked even worse for you if they knew that _you_ asked _me_ to dance, huh?"

Danny shrugged and Lindsay could feel his muscles flex beneath her hands. She studied him as they danced and let the details of the night paint pictures in her mind. As much as they had flirted all evening part of her couldn't believe that it was any more than that on Danny's part. She realized that she was going to have to find out if he was just helping her out or if he really was sending a message to all the guys.

Danny watched her study him and took the opportunity to do the same to her. She hadn't rebuffed him all night, accepting the rise in flirting he had initiated, but part of him still wondered. There was every chance that Lindsay didn't believe he was serious about wanting to date her. From her obvious concentration on her thoughts he gathered that she was thinking pretty hard, possibly about the same thing he was.

"What's got you so lost in thought, Montana?" he asked after another minute.

She hesitated for a moment before shrugging.

"I was just wondering why you're acting like it doesn't bother you that people assume that we're dating."

He smiled at her.

"I'm not acting…it doesn't bother me."

She blushed although she recognized that he could simply mean that he didn't pay attention to the office gossip, not that he meant he would entertain the thought of actually dating her.

"Well I must say it's been pretty helpful," she told him with a grin which he returned.

"Yeah? What benefits have you obtained?"

"It got me out of an awkward and embarrassing moment with Rochelle and her hangers-on, for starters."

His face became serious for a moment.

"I'm sorry that you were upset."

"I wish I knew why they decided to pick on me," Lindsay sighed.

"They're jealous, obviously," Danny told her and Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"That's just what Stella said when I told her they'd been talking about me," she said before she realized that he had no idea what she was talking about.

Danny took a step back from her and she dropped her hands to her sides.

"Wait. They've been buggin' you before?" Lindsay's stricken expression wordlessly communicated the answer as well as her hope that they would drop the subject, but Danny brushed that concern away and crossed his arms. "Tell me what they did to you, Lindsay."

She shook her head and remained mute, determined to fight him on this.

"I'm not goin' to drop this. I want to know what they've been doin' to harass you. I'll get it outta ya eventually, so you might as well tell me now," he informed her.

His choice of words struck her as funny and he was surprised when she giggled.

"You'll get it out of me?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her and his eyes roamed over her.

"I have my ways, Montana."

She bit her lip and smiled, trying hard not to flush. She could think of about a half dozen things off the top of her head that she'd like him to do to try and persuade her to talk.

"I don't doubt that, but seriously, it's nothing I can't handle. Although I do appreciate your concern, I really do. I promise that if they retaliate against me for tonight that I will let you know if I need help plotting their demise, okay?"

Danny took a deep breath, trying to come to grips with the fact that she really was going to be stubborn about this, and that he was going to have to wait to find out what had happened.

It bothered him that Lindsay had been getting harassed at work. She was a helluva CSI and just about the nicest person you could meet. She didn't deserve whatever had happened, he was sure of it.

Lindsay watched the emotions flicker across his face and it warmed her from her head to her toes that he was so concerned. A protective streak was not something one usually associated with Danny Messer, and she found that she rather liked being considered someone he wanted to defend.

She realized belatedly that they had been just standing on the dance floor for the last song, and that from outside appearances it probably looked like they were fighting. That would make Rochelle's night, she thought to herself. In fact if she didn't get him to refocus on dancing there was a good chance someone was going to cut in.

"So is this part of the message Hawkes thought you were going to send the guys?"

Danny snapped out of his thoughts and frowned at her.

"Whaddaya mean?"

She gestured between them and he realized that they weren't dancing. Hell, he'd been so bothered by Lindsay's revelation that he let go of her, like the idiot he clearly was. He grinned self-consciously.

"Not at all."

She scuffed her shoe on the floor and looked at her laces.

"So, uh, what was the message?"

Danny licked his lips. God help him if he was misreading this situation.

"Hands off. Which I obviously took too literally."

She nodded her head and bit back her smile for a moment before she looked up at him through her lashes.

"What's the best way to send that message?"

He reached out and when she placed her hand in his he gently tugged her to him and put her hand on his shoulder and snaked his hands beneath his jacket, letting his fingers caress the exposed skin of her back as he pulled her tightly to him.

"I find the hands-on approach to be the most effective."

Lindsay's breath caught in her throat as she felt his fingers connect with her skin. She interlaced her fingers behind Danny's neck and teased the skin she felt there with feather-light caresses that drove Danny crazy.

"I think that's pretty clear," she whispered and she felt like her smile could power the city.

They indulged in silence for a while, but Danny wanted to get things straight with them before the night ended.

"So, Montana, what would a guy have to do to get you to agree to go out with him?" he asked.

Lindsay shrugged.

"Is the guy you?"

He nodded.

"Simple. Just ask."

He blinked for a moment, somewhat surprised that she had chosen to be straightforward instead of giving him an answer laced with innuendo or humor. He decided to be just as honest.

"I should have done that a long time ago," he said with a serious tone that made her redden, "So Lindsay, will you go out with me?"

She simply nodded, afraid that if she opened her mouth she'd end up kissing him, which was something she definitely wanted to do, just not in front of all their co-workers.

He smiled down at her and they danced in silence for a few moments, feeling the weight of tension over the state of their relationship lift. Lindsay decided that she wanted to make sure Danny knew she was interested in him.

"About the whole Rochelle thing?"

He nodded, a bit confused that she was bringing it up but if she wanted to tell him the story and put his mind at ease then he certainly wasn't going to complain. She leaned in like she was about to divulge a secret.

"I'm not ready to spill but I think I might like to have you try your best to convince me to talk," she murmured into his ear and he felt his groin tighten.

"Ya know, for the moment I've completely lost interest in gettin' ya to talk," he told her, "but I believe I could convince you to do somethin' else for me."

A thousand and one inappropriate images flashed in her mind and she barely managed not to drop her jaw open.

"Mmm, I don't know. Depending on what it is I could need a _lot_ of persuading."

"Ya know it's a shame we have this party, all these people…" he trailed off and smirked at her, "'cause I can't wait to start on all the persuadin' you want."

She grinned at him.

"Well I was thinking of asking you to take me back to my apartment, maybe you could stay a while?"

He feigned a shocked look.

"Why Miss Monroe, whatever will we find to pass the time at your place?"

She moved one of her hands so she could tap a finger on her chin.

"You know, I _did_ have a few ideas."

"Care to share with the class?"

She bit her lip as she moved her finger to the top button of his shirt, and she began to fidget with it as she talked.

"I was thinking we could engage in a friendly game of poker," she said and Danny grinned.

"Poker, huh? Well I think we could play a few hands, make some interestin' wagers."

"Actually I was thinking Strip Poker would be interesting," she told him, smiling when he stopped dancing for a minute to gape at her.

"But I have to warn you," she continued with a smirk, "I don't want to hear you whining when I stack the deck against you."

And then Danny laughed and Lindsay thought she'd never get tired of hearing that sound.

"Alright, as long as you don't complain when I distract you so I can cheat," he said with a grin.

"Why Mr. Messer, whatever do you think you can do to distract me?" Lindsay asked him with a too-innocent stare.

Danny leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"As soon as we're alone I plan on demonstratin' _exactly_ what I can do to distract you."

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

This is not a lovely smut-filled ending like you all deserve, so I'm sorry for that. But by God I promised myself I would finish one of my WiPs and I'll be gosh-darned if I don't follow through on it! So here it is, in all its fallibility.

Thanks to: kirsten, moyeh, sammy, A, californiasmurf, danielle, ny_in_love, Faye, Candice, Niki, and Lyss, whose reviews I could not reply to online.

Speaking of reviews I lost a whole bunch back before chapter four of this was posted so if you never got a reply from me please let me know and I shall endeavor to PM you post haste!

On with the chapter…

* * *

"Two pair," Lindsay announced with a triumphant smile.

Danny looked up at Lindsay, shaking his head in amusement at her smug attitude. Although he'd thought she'd been kidding when she suggested they go back to her place and play strip poker he couldn't deny the enjoyment he was getting out of playing with her, even though he was currently losing.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were gonna stack the deck against me, were ya?" Danny teased as he moved to take off the cowboy hat.

"Not the hat," Lindsay told him with a hand raised to stop him.

Eyebrow cocked he grinned and his hand changed its trajectory, moving to the buttons of his shirt. He paused and waited until Lindsay nodded before he slowly undid the buttons and peeled off the shirt.

Lindsay barely refrained from releasing a sigh as Danny put the shirt on the back of his chair and then grabbed his beer bottle for a nice long drink as she reshuffled the cards. She belatedly realized she hadn't responded to his last comment and hurried to do so.

"I don't need to stack the deck. I gave you a handicap before we even started and you're still losing just fine on your own," she reminded him with a smirk.

As the ball party ended Lindsay had gone back into the bathroom to retrieve her shirt which she had rung out and carried with her. Once back at her place she hadn't put anything else on to balance the deficit in clothing.

"Maybe I'm losing on purpose on account of how much I enjoy your outfit," he teased her, "Ever stop to consider that?"

And no, she hadn't actually considered that. But after a moment she dismissed it—he sucked at poker, plain and simple. No one could _fake_ losing this badly.

"I'm surprised that you liked this costume so much," Lindsay admitted through her blush.

"Why is that?" Danny asked, genuinely confused. Lindsay shrugged.

"Well Rochelle seemed to think you'd be more likely to be drawn to her choice, and I can't say I'd have been that surprised to find it was true."

"Does bringing up her name mean you've decided to tell me about what they've done to you?" Danny teased with a smile that told Lindsay he already knew the answer.

"No…in fact I really don't want to think about them anymore," She insisted and then contradicted herself with her next statement. "Although I do want to know why they've decided to pick on me. I mean if it's something I did then I want the chance to correct it, you know?"

"They're jealous of you, Linds, easy as that," Danny told her.

"And why is that, exactly?" she questioned with a smile. How funny that his statement echoed Stella's, she mused. She almost missed his rejoinder.

"Prolly 'cause I haven't so much as looked at one of them…especially not since I met you, anyhow."

His admission shocked her.

"What?" she barely managed to whisper.

He shrugged and the grin he sent her made her weak in the knees.

"I don't need to look at anyone else, Linds," He confessed and watched as she once again flushed one of the most attractive shades of pink he'd ever seen. "Especially if you're wearing something like that," he finished with a teasing leer.

Lindsay struggled to find something to say that would bring them back on an even keel and she smiled when she thought of it.

"So what do you plan on doing for this date?" She asked. "I admit I'm curious to see whether we'll go somewhere we've been to for a case or if there's a place we haven't been to yet that I'll be surprised by."

"Do you have a preference?"

"Oh, um well I guess the only thing I really have a preference for is for it to be something simple and low-key."

Danny took a few moments to give the idea of their date the consideration it deserved. He looked up at her again when he had a thought.

"How about a hockey game?" He suggested. "I've never been to one before; it could be a lot of fun."

"Yeah that sounds great, actually," Lindsay agreed.

"I'm not sure what team is from Montana or if there even is one," Danny admitted, "But how about we plan on catching the next game they play the Rangers here? There's bound to be one in the next few weeks, right?"

"Montana doesn't have a team, so I'm actually a Canucks fan," Lindsay told him, "Let's check the schedule out and see who the Rangers typically play because I'm not sure they're in the same division as the Canucks so we might be waiting a long time to see them play each other."

"You mean you want to check it out now?" Danny asked, attempting to hide his displeasure at the notion and failing epically.

Lindsay laughed at his clear lack of enthusiasm.

"Come on, cowboy," she said as she got up and made the short trip to the couch.

After much playful bantering back and forth they decided to watch the next game between the Rangers and the Maple Leafs, figuring that another Canadian team would suffice for Lindsay to root for against Danny. Because they both agreed there would be no fun in rooting for the same team.

When she turned to Danny she noticed for the first time just how closely they were sitting next to one another. Of course it had been necessary at the time in order to allow both of them to see the computer's screen but now it was no longer essential although it was still desirable. She didn't know if she should say anything or not but Danny took the decision out of her hands by speaking first.

"You know we never did end up agreeing on signals earlier," He said, moving even closer to her.

But just when Lindsay thought he was going to move all the way in and kiss her he stopped, clearly leaving it up to her whether or not they took that step. She gave herself a moment to appreciate the gesture before she decided on not only her answer but whether or not to follow through on the action he'd started.

"I don't think we need to worry about getting our signals crossed anymore, do you?" She whispered and allowed their mouths to meet. Danny couldn't help but smile, thrilled that she was finally getting to the part of the evening he'd been looking forward to.

When Lindsay began absent-mindedly playing with the strap of his tank as they continued to make-out he had to stop for a moment and tease her.

"As much as you have been benefiting from how I obviously feel about your costume if I'm not mistaken you've had a pretty noticeable reaction to my costume pretty much from the get-go as well."

"Yeah I have although I have to admit if I'd had any idea beforehand what your reaction was going to be to my costume I probably would have stuck with my original idea of going as a ghost."

"Well I'm glad you changed your mind."

"You know, it was Stella's idea that I dress up as a cheerleader."

Danny cocked his head and smiled.

"Huh…I once told Stella that I always wanted to see a cheerleader wearing my jacket over that hot little skirt."

Lindsay's eyes widened and they both looked at each other for a moment as the light bulb went off and they realized they had been set up quite handily.

"Stella, huh? Well I guess we have to think of a way to repay her, then, don't we?"

He rolled them over so she was pinned beneath him.

"Later, Montana. Much, much later."

* * *

Finis


End file.
